ROADTRIP NATION PRESENTS

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The road-trippers set off to meet inspiring women in STEM, starting with Harvard professor Evelynn Hammonds and artist Janet Echelman.

Episode 2: Get Out There

The team meets women in STEM who are launching big ideas into the world through engineering, art, activism, tech, business, and more.

Episode 3: Many Paths

A visit to NASA’s largest rocket engine test facility, and messing with lights and circuit boards with engineer and designer Leah Buechley.

Episode 4: Build the Future

The trip ends in SF, with Debbie Sterling, who makes engineering toys for girls, and MythBusters’ Kari Byron talking courage and curiosity.

You can’t be what you can’t see—so we sent three young women out on the road to meet leaders in STEM who are blasting past barriers and launching us into the future.

From rocket scientists at NASA to engineers, professors, computer scientists, artists, and more, follow the journey of road-trippers Ariel, Elicia, and Regina as they get a firsthand look at how women in STEM are overcoming challenges and building the future of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

If you’re a parent, teacher, or student looking for educational resources that will help you dive deeper into the topics and themes in this series, check out our viewing guide.

FUELED BY:

INSIGHTS FROM THE FILM

“These opportunities will come your way, and you can choose to be scared and not take them, or you can go for it and see what happens.”

Kari Byron, TV Host, White Rabbit Project

“Constantly confront racial and gendered stereotypes directly. If you run away from difficult perceptions or attitude in the culture, you're going to be running your whole life.”

Evelynn Hammonds, Professor, History of Science, African and African American Studies, Harvard University

“There will always be doubts, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop. Don’t stop; keep fighting for it.”

THERE'S MORE WHERE THIS CAME FROM

Sign up for our newsletter to watch more documentaries, get first word of road tripopportunities, and score handy tips for the career search.

Women make up 48% of the workforce, but only 23% hold jobs in STEM. That’s why Roadtrip Nation has teamed up with AT&T to send three young women on a life-changing road trip to talk to the trailblazing women who are shaping the world with science, technology, engineering, and math. The experience will become a documentary film viewable on this page to empower females everywhere to discover the exciting realms of innovation that are improving lives, solving problems, and making a positive impact on our future. Follow the journey and learn what it really takes to build a life doing what you love.

RoadtripNation

#STEM-inspired artist @zarialynn gave us a sneak peek at her latest work, and it's AMAZING. #ABalancedEquation

Did you know women make up roughly half the workforce, but less than 25% hold jobs in #STEM? We're on a mission to create #ABalancedEquation by talking to trailblazing women all over the country who are changing the world in these industries. #RoadtripNation

RoadtripNation

FUELED BY:

THE ROADTRIPPERS

ARIEL

ELICIA

REGINA

ARIEL NOBLE

Age 24
From North Little Rock, AK

The first time Ariel realized she could be a leader was at age 12. Her own goal to become healthier catalyzed healthier lifestyles for others in her family; then she spent a summer volunteering at a medical center. The spark she felt from leading and helping others only fed her growing interest in science. But the challenge of science classes in college shook her confidence. She found the inspiration she needed to keep going in a summer research program with a mentor who was both brilliant and demanding. By the end, she knew medical research was one of the most challenging careers in science, but the ever-changing nature of the work, and the ability to make a difference in the lives of so many, is what she thrives on. Now she’s getting her master’s in biomedical research and looking for what’s next, but mostly, she wants to inspire other women and underrepresented groups in STEM to go after those careers, too.

ELICIA DENNIS

Age 21
From Denver, CO

Elicia knew she should be an electrical engineer before she even knew what that was. As a kid, if something plugged into a wall, she was taking it apart to find out how it worked. That curiosity drove her toward other challenges—like finishing the international baccalaureate program at her high school—even when her home life was tumultuous. But after her freshman year at Notre Dame, she needed to step back; so she took a year off to teach programming to underserved kids in her hometown. Seeing her upbringing from the outside has given her new perspective: she’s realized that she’s stronger than she gives herself credit for. Now more than ever, she knows that engineering and helping others are what she’s most passionate about, but she’s not sure how she wants to apply them yet. She wants to gain as many new experiences as she can—each one with a new lesson that will better prepare her to push the culture around STEM forward.

REGINA LIN

Age 18
From New York City, NY

The thing that Regina loves about computer science is its openness. Every piece of code is a puzzle to solve, but there are many ways to the same endpoint—and the solution is never final. Her future feels open, too. She loves programming, but she has so many interests and so much she wants to try before she commits to any one thing. She’s already fighting the stereotypes of what a programmer looks like, even with her own family, so she’s hesitant to admit that she’s not sure if programming is what she wants to do for the rest of her life. But she finds inspiration in stories from people around her who have found something they’re really good at—or truly, nerdily passionate about. Once shy, she now wants to seek out other women’s paths to careers in STEM and learn about all the misdirections, re-dos, and failures that led them to write, and then rewrite their stories.

STEM IS OFTEN THOUGHT OF AS A MAN'S DOMAIN. CHANGE THE NARRATIVE BY SHARING YOUR STORY.

Young women are more likely to succeed in STEM if they see examples of women who already have. So we've created an online community where women in STEM can share their challenges, triumphs, and advice with other young women. Tell the story of how you got to where you are today, and encourage more young females to develop interest and skills in the fields of tomorrow.